The Trouble With Charms
by Kalloway
Summary: L'Arachel attempts to bestow a good luck charm upon the Summoner, but after it goes awry, she and the Askran trio must go on a search to figure out how to reverse it… but Embla isn't sitting idly by, while this is happening...


"I, uh… I don't think I've ever seen you cast spells outside of a fight, to be totally honest."

Feeling undeniably uncomfortable, the Summoner fidgeted in place.

The troubadour waved a hand, careless, "I'm _more_ than capable of a simple charm, Summoner! After all, I am the great-"

"_L'Arachel_, I know. Sorry… I've just… Never… had anyone cast _anything_ on me before."

"Never fear! Alright, now…"

With a dramatic flair, she recited an incantation from the paper she held,

'_With these words, your luck shall change:_

_Hocus Pocus, Transformratus!'_

She paused and did a double-take at the scribbly writing, "Wait, transform-'_rat'_-us?"

There was a blinding light for a moment and a loud '_KAZAM!'_... L'Arachel covered her eyes until she heard a strange noise.

'..._Squeak_!'

She peeked an eye out, but the Summoner was nowhere to be seen. Looking towards the ground however, she discovered the source of the sound. A large rat sat among a pile of clothes - the Summoner's robes!

She held back the urge to shriek, and instead realized that something had gone horribly, horribly wrong with such an apparently easy spell.

What kind of charm _was_ this, anyway?

She scoffed, "That scummy merchant! I paid good money for this charm…"

She bounced up and down on the spot, putting a hand to her lips in a nervous gesture, "...How in the world am I going to fix this?"

After a moment, she snapped her fingers, "Oh, right! I'm _me_! I can just ask someone for a reversal spell and all will be right as rain! …except…"

She frowned at the rat at her feet, "...perhaps… I should inform Princess Sharena first… just in case."

* * *

Princess Sharena of Askr was practicing her lance blows on a training dummy in courtyard, when the green-haired healer burst through a nearby door rather dramatically, with - Wait, what was that she was holding?

She rushed over, trying to be calm and collected as she spoke with a quiet but squeaky voice, "Princess, I'm so sorry to bother you during training, but I-I must inform you of something most important!"

The Princess frowned, uneasy, "Er- L'Arachel. What's wrong? What happened? Did something happen?"

She struggled to find her words, sputtering and stuttering unlike anything Sharena had heard from the normally grandiose and well-spoken girl. Her brother noticed her from the side, and she gestured for him to approach, effectively shielding the troubadour from outside view.

As soon as Prince Alfonse had stopped in front of her, she let out a yelp and dropped the… whatever it was that she'd bundled up in the trailing tails of her dress. The siblings held their breath, anticipating what it could be, until it got back up and looked at them.

'_Squeak_!'

L'Arachel lowered her head, while holding her hand tenderly, "I… I regret to inform you… that I… _may_ have botched a charm and ... turned our beloved Summoner… into a rat." She huffed, "I cannot believe she _bit_ me! Rat or not, that's quite rude."

Sharena had taken two steps back after realizing what it was, but Alfonse held steady, kneeling to get a closer look, "So… _this_ is Arya?"

The green-haired girl began to fret, "Ohh, I'm _so_ sorry, Prince Alfonse! I _really_ didn't mean to! You see, I'd just gotten my hands on a charm from a merchant, who'd bought it off a sorceress a while ago, and I wanted to do something nice for the Summoner!"

Sharena had approached her brother, and peered at the small creature by his feet with a troubled frown, "...so... you turned her into a rat?"

The girl made to retort, but Alfonse spoke first, "I don't believe that's the case, sister." He glanced up at L'Arachel, "Was it written down somewhere?"

"Oh, yes!"

He held out a hand, "Can I have a look at it?"

She gladly obliged, elaborating, "You know, I never actually got to look at it before trying it out. It sounded rather peculiar when I recited the incantation…"

The siblings both scanned the scribbles on the page.

Both pulled a face.

Sharena spoke first, "'_Hocus Pocus'_? What does that even _mean_?"

Alfonse's brow creased as he re-read the writing, "Where did you get this, L'Arachel? Not from within Askr, I'd hope."

"No, this merchant was from another world! She sounded very genuine and I don't believe she was aware she sold me a phony charm."

Alfonse picked up the rat- er… _Summoner_ \- oh, poor Arya - unafraid of being bit whilst wearing gloves. Before any of the trio could say another word, a new voice came from behind them.

"Sharena, I _thought_ I told you to keep training! I was only gone for five minutes!"

The Askr siblings jumped at the loud, harsh tone of Commander Anna.

L'Arachel, on the other hand, had looked as if she had seen a ghost. With a hand to her chin, she pondered, "...you know… the merchant woman looked an _awful_ lot like Commander Anna, now that I can see the resemblance."

The Askran soldier was met with a trio of suspicious stares, prompting her to glower in return, "What? What am I getting the hard looks for?"

"Commander Anna, you know your merchant '_sisters'_ from other worlds?" Alfonse was on to something.

She looked weary, "Yes… what about them?"

Sharena crossed her arms, "They don't happen to sell… un-genuine items from time to time, do they?"

"'_Un-genuine'_? You mean '_fake'_?" She scoffed rather loudly, "I-They take pride in their trade! It's _highly_ unlikely."

"Well, L'Arachel just got duped by one of them for a charm."

Alfonse held up the rat for Anna to see, "This is what happened."

Anna scratched her chin, "...you summoned a rat?"

"No! The _Summoner_ is the rat. The Summoner _is_ a rat, Commander Anna. We need to find a way to reverse this as soon as possible."

"Wait, so you recited a charm, and it turned Arya into… a rat?" She laughed, "Ah, _that's_ a new one."

Sharena shot back, "Commander Anna! This is important! _Detrimental_, even!"

"Right, right. Of course. I just… I'd make a killing, selling those on All Fool's Day." She clapped her mitted hands together, "Right! The best bet we have, I believe, is locating some of the other troubadours or tome users around the Castle. Surely _one_ of them must have a reversal for this."

"Sounds like a plan! Let's split up - we can cover more ground, that way!"

With that, the trio took off in different directions, leaving L'Arachel by herself. After a moment's hesitation, she called out, "Uh- Princess! Princess wait for me, please!

* * *

The three groups decided to tackle them broadly by type. Alfonse would speak to the Red mages, Sharena (with L'Arachel in tow) with Blues, and Anna tackling the Greens. Afterwards, they'd try to look for others that might be able to help, just in case.

Sharena and L'Arachel didn't have much luck with the few Blue tome users that happened to be around, finding only Linde, Robin, and Reinhardt in the ten or so minutes of searching they'd done. When prompted by the question, Linde immediately apologized, "I'm not well-versed in such things, being a Light Mage. This sounds like something much darker… who would do such a thing?"

Reinhardt was also at a loss, "Transmogrification is not a field I'm knowledgeable about. I'm afraid I'm unable to aid you. I wish you good luck in finding a cure soon."

Sharena had mumbled about why they bothered asking the lightning mage in the first place, but L'Arachel held up a pointed finger, "Ah! 'Tis not such a far reach as you may believe, Princess Sharena! There's stories that speak of reanimating the dead with a shock of lightning… though, Reinhardt doesn't strike me as the type to dabble in such things…"

Robin had also declined to know anything, but had cringed as he had a secondary thought, "Er… you might be better off attempting to ask Tharja, Princesses. She's quite familiar with rather twisted spells and the like. Just ... be cautious about asking, alright?"

Well, hopefully Alfonse was working on that and having considerably better luck than _they_ were!

* * *

Alfonse's prime targets were the more… questionable of the Red mages. It seemed as though their mutual problematic fields of magic attracted one another, for he found the three he was looking for within relatively close proximity. Keeping a firm grip on the, uh… Summoner, in his hands, he approached them like he would anyone else.

"By chance, do any of you know the specifics involving transforming people into animals?"

Henry sat up at the question, "Like toads? Or crows? Most people prefer crows, I've found. Better company too."

Alfonse nodded.

The dark mage seemed to ponder for an absurdly long moment, before shrugging nonchalantly, "Can't say that I do. Sorry. Wish I did, but alas, I _don't_ know everything. Bummer, right?"

Tharja spoke up from the side, "Now _why_ would a Prince be interested in turning others into such pitiful creatures?"

He shook his head, "I'm more interested in finding out how to reverse such a thing. ..._You're_ quite skilled with hexes, Tharja. Perhaps-"

She sighed, tossing some hair over her shoulder, "I cannot help you. Although…" She chuckled darkly, "I wish it _had_ been my doing. Perhaps I should see if I can create a hex to turn one into a worm? Or a rabbit, for dear Robin…?"

Alfonse quickly excused himself before she began muttering curses to herself.

Aversa was the next one he ran into. He decided to be much more forward with her, stating simply, "I need to know if you, or anyone you know, is aware of a method for reversing a transformation of the animal kind. The Summoner has been turned into a rat, and it's crucial we fix this as soon as possible."

She eyed him for a long moment - Alfonse feeling increasingly uncomfortable and regretting speaking with her at all, and not searching for someone else - until she cracked a wicked smile, "What makes you believe that _I_ am aware of such things, dear Prince?"

"I'm well-aware of your deeds and former allegiances. I don't ask that you aid us for _my_ sake, but for the sake of the Summoner-"

"_Arya_, was it? A delightful morsel." She waved a hand, "Unfortunately, I know not how to help her, aside from attempting a very rudimentary reversal spell. I'm… unsure how it will affect such a peculiar charm, however. I advise caution."

...He hadn't been expecting her to be so… _nice_ about it. She gave him - or more specifically, it appeared to be aimed at the rat in his hands - a sultry wave, before he dismissed himself.

Perhaps inquiring about this to the Dark mages had been a poor idea, in hindsight. He could only hope his sister and Anna were having better luck than he was.

* * *

With a huff, Anna put a hand to her head as she paused in her tracks. The castle was large, yes, but it was unreasonable to think she couldn't locate a _single_ green mage anywhere! It was as if they'd fallen off the world itself when she needed them most. Then again, that's how it tended to be with them… and certain archers, axe-wielders…

Shaking her head, she made her way back to the courtyard where the trio had agreed to meet up again, only to run into an Askran scout who quickly flagged her attention.

_This_ couldn't be good…

* * *

Alfonse had reunited with Sharena and L'Arachel, and inquired as to their success.

"...big lack thereof, brother. Robin suggested maybe Tharja would know…" She trailed off when she saw the troubled look that passed his face.

Scrunching up his brow, he shook his head, "Tharja… either didn't know, or outright refused to help. I'm still uncertain which it was. Perhaps a bit of both… The closest I got was Aversa suggesting a basic reversal spell, but she warned me it might have… unpleasant effects with whatever L'Arachel casted upon Arya."

Sharena sighed, shoulders slumping, "So we've got nothing then? _That's_ wonderful… I was hoping maybe Anna would have some luck, but I haven't seen her-"

Heavy footsteps alerted them to approaching company. Hiding the rat behind his back, terrified it would be someone who didn't need to see him handling rodents, he was relieved to see Anna standing there. Unfortunately, she looked even more uneasy than he'd felt just a moment ago.

She stood stiffly as she relayed the news, "We're going to have to postpone our questioning. I've just received word that Embla is making a move for the Summoning Ruins, and we _need_ to intercept them - _Now_."

L'Arachel protested, "As much as I value fighting the evil, what are we meant to do with the Summoner? Surely we can't just leave her in a small cage to await our return?"

Sharena agreed, "She's right, Anna. What are we going to do about Arya? Or better yet - how are we going to fight without her strategy?"

Anna's brow remained furrowed, "We managed quite some time before the Summoner first arrived here. Surely we can do so again. We _have_ to. They're on their way now, and if we don't move to intercept them now, it's likely Veronica will attempt to destroy the Ruins a second time!"

She didn't wait for an answer and stormed off, but Alfonse called out to her, "Commander Anna! _What_ about Arya?" He hesitated when she gave him a glare, "Er… How do you propose we… bring her with us?"

His sister's tone was incredulous, "You _can't_ be serious, Alfonse! That's arguably _more_ dangerous than just leaving her here-"

He countered, "Leaving her here so someone can find her and thinks she's any other rat? Sharena, what do you think they _do_ with vermin in the Castle? Give them fluffy pillows?"

She crossed her arms, "Arya isn't _vermin_!"

"I'm _not_ saying that-"

Anna loudly clapped her hands together to catch their attention, "That's enough! We need to leave now." She pointed to him, "Alfonse, just hold onto her for the time being, alright? When we get there, L'Arachel can take care of her while we fend them off."

"By _ourselves_?"

"I've gathered up a few Heroes and what men I could muster under such short notice. We are _not_ fighting Embla alone."

* * *

"You're… certain this strategy will work, sister?"

Princess Veronica shifted impatiently where she stood, "It will. The Askrans love to throw up alarm bells if you so much as kick a stone across the border."

"What exactly _is_ the strategy, if I may ask? If we are not here to destroy the Ruins, then-"

She sharply cut him off, "I'm not after the stupid _Ruins_. Where the so-called Order of Heroes goes, the Summoner follows. I'm going to settle this once and for all, and get her out of my way."

Bruno's lips tightened into a straight line, as he watched his sister idly pluck a flower from the grass, and toy with it for a moment between her fingers.

Muttering to herself, she smiled, "I'm going to do what I've wanted to do since I first saw that stupid girl:" She placed her thumb under the flower bud, and in one smooth motion, popped it completely off, "I'll kill her. Just like that."

He watched her a moment longer from the corner of his eye before casually mentioning, "It'll be awfully messy, sister. You'll soil your dress."

He expected her to rebuke him for such a comment, but she looked up at him and smirked devilishly, "That's the point, dear brother. It's more fun that way."

She made a note to step on the fallen flower head at her feet, with an extra twist of her heel for good measure. Before he could comment any further, a soldier walked up to her.

"The Askrans have arrived."

Her previous twisted joy had been replaced by a stoic expression, "How many?"

"Two dozen that we counted. Their numbers are thin. They… appear to be lacking in Heroes this time. Most of them appear to be Askran soldiers."

This caused her to look to her brother, who raised a brow in return behind his mask.

Veronica clenched a fist and raised her chin, "Is the Summoner among them?"

The man in front of her hesitated, "The Summoner?"

She raised her voice, growing agitated, "The Summoner. _Is. She. With. Them?_"

"U-Uh… The Summoner was not reported to be among them, Your Highness, no."

The man cringed as he appeared to believe he was about to be on the receiving end of something terrible…

But instead the Princess turned away after throwing up her arms in an exasperated manner, "Why? Why isn't she with them? They _always_ bring the Summoner with them! I don't understand…"

Bruno touched a hand to her shoulder, "Veronica, we should ready ourselves to confront the enemy."

She clenched her jaw for a moment, before releasing the tension with a sigh, "As always, you're right, dear brother. Besides… I suppose we could always torture one of them for answers."

He gave a small smile at the remark, before he said, "May I offer another suggestion?"

She frowned at him, but didn't protest.

"Perhaps it's possible, with the Summoner's sudden… disappearance… that you may be able to place the Heroes they've brought with them under _your_ contract? I'm uncertain if it's feasible, but-"

"You wish for me to, what? '_Steal'_ their Heroes?" She fidgeted somewhat while she thought, "...I suppose I _could_ attempt the ritual… once we kill the Askrans first."

"Of course, sister. We should have it no other way."

* * *

Alfonse, having left the Summoner with L'Arachel, who stood safely behind the others, confronted Veronica from a distance away. Strange that she wasn't making a move yet.

Nor did it appear as though she was after the Ruins in the first place…

"Veronica."

She sneered, "Askran _filth_."

He ignored the comment, and instead got to the lingering subject, "You were waiting for us, were you? I see you didn't so much as touch the Ruins."

With a knowing smirk, she crossed her arms, "Your pathetic little Order of Heroes has no use for these Ruins, anyway. Not without your Summoner."

The way he tensed up slightly when she said that, made her smile grow more catlike and predatory - Like watching a rat realize a moment too late, that it's fate has been sealed.

She continued her mean-spirited monologue, savouring every moment of advantage she had over her enemies, "Why destroy something and waste time and energy, when you can't even make use of it? Besides… you came running. Just like you do _every_ time. But… to do so without the Summoner…? I wonder if you Askrans have begun to lose all hope? Enough to drive yourselves mad, perhaps?"

Sharena was the one who cut in before she could continue, "And do half the work for you? That's not like us at all."

Alfonse continued from there, leery of Veronica's ire at having her speech ended prematurely, "What makes you believe the Summoner is '_gone'_? Assuming such based on the fact she's not present is rather hasty of you. How very _Emblian_ of you."

Her fists clenched, but Bruno spoke before her, "You know not of what you speak, Prince Alfonse. Hasty accusations make your word forfeit, and your character tainted by hypocrisy. How very _un_like you."

Veronica raised her head up again, "I know your Summoner is '_gone'_ because you rely so heavily on her strategies. You do not even concern me, at the moment. Your greatest asset is missing. You're easy prey. You _and_ your Heroes. All you've done is run right into my trap - defenseless. How foolish-"

She was cut off by the sound of L'Arachel letting out a cry. To the Askran's horror, she'd dropped the very asset Veronica was just mocking them for not having. They rushed to try and grab it - her - but it evaded them and ran straight towards Veronica.

The young Emblian Princess looked utterly confused and out of place as she realized what it was, "_I-Ugh_! What… why do you people have a _rat_!?" She attempted to kick at it as it approached her, "Filthy…. _disgusting_ little creature! I'll… I'll kill you!"

She opened the tome she'd had tucked under an arm, after successfully kicking it a short distance away from herself.

Realizing Veronica was about to kill the rat without a second thought, Alfonse, Sharena, and Anna shouted simultaneously, "_**NO**_!"

That prompted her to hesitate, giving the Summoner-rat time to pounce on her foot, causing her to shriek and flail in an attempt to kick it off. She grabbed at Bruno's sleeve, "Bruno! Kill it! Kill it before it gets me!"

L'Arachel shrieked, "_Don't_! It's the Summoner!"

He paused in the middle of making an attempt to step on it to gawk at her. Veronica's expression mimicked his own, but in full-view. She glared daggers at Alfonse, who was closest to her, "What is she talking about? Do you believe this to be a _joke!_?"

Alfonse passed a hand over his head to brush his bangs out of his face while he tried to explain quickly to the ever-impatient Princess, "We had a spell go awry and the Summoner was transformed into a rat. We… were looking for a solution before we got word you'd arrived."

She gave him a hard, but strange look for a long moment… before she started slowly, "You mean to tell me… you _stupidly_ cast a spell on the Summoner… the _only_ one who can summon Heroes to help you… into a _rat_, of all things?"

He huffed a response, feeling as though the world as he knew it had just gone mad, "Yes! That's what happened. So just…"

He trailed off when she began to laugh, bitterly. Well, at first it started genuine, as though she couldn't believe her own luck. But it ended on a sour note, as she didn't even glance at her brother, "Grab it."

After hesitating a moment, he snatched the rat by the scruff of its neck, and held it a safe distance away from himself. Veronica seemed to relish the concern written on the Askran's faces.

She had them - _and_ the Summoner - right in the palm of her hand… _figuratively_ speaking, of course.

"...You know, I'm glad you told me this." She wore a crooked, evil smile, "It just wouldn't have been satisfying, to kill her and not even see her face while she dies."

She took a step back from Bruno, before flipping through the pages of her tome, "I'll do you Askrans a favour: I'll turn her back for you… just in time to watch me kill her. How _exciting_!"

Bruno appeared to grow somewhat nervous, "...should I let it go, sister?"

She waved a hand without looking at him, "No, this will only take a moment. Just hold still, please."

The Askrans made an attempt to rush forward, but were quickly deterred by the sheer numbers they'd brought with them. They easily had double… it'd be a hard fight to win, even with a handful of Heroes with them.

Veronica stopped on a page and held her hand out, towards the creature.

Everyone seemed to collectively hold their breath in anticipation as she spoke the Emblian words - what she was saying exactly wasn't important. Just that it _worked_.

And worked it seemed to do.

After a flash of light had prompted everyone to cover their eyes, the very audible sound of a heavy 'thud' on the ground brought out Alfonse's curiosity. Peering from over his arm, he saw nothing until he watched Bruno glance at his feet and grow pale.

He glanced down but quickly looked back up at the Emblian Prince, for their Summoner had returned from rat-form… as naked as the day she was probably born.

She seemed disoriented, from the sound of her voice, like she'd just woken up after sleeping for far too long, "Ugh… my head… what happened? Where… where am I?" After a short pause, she added, "...Why do I have this _massive_ craving for peanut butter, right now?"

Veronica scoffed, but her face grew red, "Ugh… I-I didn't… anticipate _this_."

The Summoner glanced up at her, but very quickly realized what was wrong.

"...Why am I _naked_?!"

No one dared look, but L'Arachel elaborated from behind shielded eyes, "I accidentally turned you into a rat with a bad charm I got from some scummy merchant! But uh… we fixed you! _Huzzah_!"

She curled up to try and hide herself from view, despite the fact no one was really looking, "Yeah okay _sure_, but why don't I have clothes? If-If I turned into a rat, I would adjust… shrunk out of them… right? ...Can I have my cloak or something? Man, I never thought I'd miss that hood so much-"

Veronica groaned, "You talk far too much, Summoner."

"Oh, hey Veronica." She frowned, "Wait, you're '_kill people'_ Veronica. ...nevermind."

She ignored the comment and instead grabbed her brother by the shoulder and turned them away so they had their backs to her. She hissed at him in a low tone, "_Do_ something, Bruno!"

He looked incredulous regarding the demand, "Me? What do you want me to do?"

She had a firm grip on his arm, "Give her your cloak or something! _Anything_, so I don't have to look at her anymore! She's so… _ugh…_"

He wanted to protest, you could tell even without actually looking at him, but Bruno seemed to admit defeat. Releasing his cloak from his shoulders, he tossed it around the girl's shoulders, who still lay on the ground near his feet.

She quickly wrapped herself up in it to be hidden from prying eyes, giving him a quick, albeit dodging smile in thanks.

When the others realized the situation was far less awkward that it was a moment ago, they seemed… uncertain. The Summoner returned to the Askran's side, still looking a bit out of place, but there was a strange unspoken stalemate occuring.

An eternity seemed to pass, before Veronica finally sighed and spoke, still refusing to look over her shoulder, "Let it be known that this is the _only_ kindness I will show you, Summoner. The only thing stopping me from killing you right now… Is the embarrassment that would come with the tale, for years to come."

Arya glanced around for a minute, "Uhh… thanks?"

"Pfff. No need. Next time, I'm going to pop your head off like a doll… I'll wear this dress with its hem stained with your blood. _Nothing_ less."

"..._right_. I can take a hint."

Veronica seemed to be fighting herself on something, for her hands were clenched tight, and shook as her voice wavered, "I-I wish to pretend this entire event didn't happen. Am I clear?! It _never_ happened, and… and I'm going to leave now, and next time I'll kill you! I swear it!"

The others seemed to be lost for an answer, but Arya wore a sardonic smile, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Princess."

That got her attention. She finally cast one brief look at her, as if understanding what her words meant after a moment, then turned back. Relaxing her hands, she nodded once, "...I… I want you to give that back to Bruno next time too. Okay? After _that_, I'll kill you. Promise."

"I still don't know what you mean… but alright."

"Good! I'm glad your comprehension wasn't ruined while you were running around, being vermin." She shook her foot as if to emphasize it, "_Disgusting_."

Another awkward silence passed, before she finally started walking away, "Let's go, Bruno. I think I need some tea to clear my head."

After watching the Emblian forces leave in what was arguably the most peaceful '_invasion'_ in Askran history, Alfonse sputtered a stunned response, "I...I can't believe we didn't even have to fight. _At_ _all_."

Anna cocked her head in agreement, "If only all interactions with them could be about that peaceful…"

"...At the cost of my dignity? No thanks…" Arya mumbled.

"Well… look on the bright side! We probably won't be seeing them for a while. I, uh… I know I probably wouldn't invade so soon, after seeing one of their tacticians so… undressed…"

Arya hugged the cloak tighter to herself, "I'm on the same page as Veronica with this. Can we just pretend this never happened? I-I'll walk back to the Castle, _with_ clothes, and no one has to know, I… I can't believe it had to be in front of _them_! God, this is the _worst_."

Sharena patted her on the shoulder, "It'll be okay, Arya. They won't talk about it if you don't, I'm sure."

The Summoner sighed, but had an afterthought as soon as they'd started walking the trek back to Askr, "...do you have peanut butter in your world? I'm still really craving it." Her stomach growled, betraying the ulterior motive, "...actually, I'm just hungry in general."

* * *

L'Arachel visited the Summoner once more about a week after the, uh… 'incident' at the Summoning Ruins. To apologize.

Very, _very_ sincerely.

"I _cannot_ apologize enough for the trouble and sheer embarrassment I caused you! Why, if it were me in your place, I think I'd be dead from such negative attention!"

"It's… fine, L'Arachel. Don't worry about it. I'm not upset."

She was surprised to hear that, "Oh, you're not? You truly _are_ a wonderful person, you know that? Far more brave than I, in a way." She smiled, "Now, perhaps it's impertinent to suggest this so soon, but I got my hands on a _real_ copy of that good luck charm-"

Arya quickly waved her arms and shook her head, "Uh, that's very kind to offer L'Arachel, but I… I think I've had enough '_fun'_ with magic to last me a while."

Her smile didn't disappear, and in fact grew, "I figured you'd say that. I'm just kidding. It's just a little note I wrote for you, that you can read when you're feeling under the weather. Considering the fact it's from a master troubadour like myself, you can consider it a blessing in itself! Plus - it's harmless. No incantation or anything this time. Promise!"

She handed her the '_note'_, which appeared to be a large sheet of paper, folded to be very small, and tied with a thin, pretty string.

"...Thank you."

The troubadour added quickly, "Just promise to only read it if you're feeling glum, okay? It won't have the same effect if you sneak a peek at it now. That's all I ask."

"I'll… keep that in mind. Thank you, again."

No one had gone out of the way to give her notes or letters of _any_ kind, before.

In a sort of disappointing kind of way, she almost wished she could be sad, so she could read it without feeling guilty. But she couldn't bring herself to do that… not when she's been so honest and kind about it.

In L'Arachel's own trademark way of doing so, anyway.

* * *

The Summoner had been speaking with Alfonse, when Tharja approached. The Askran Prince had grown a bit tense the moment he caught sight of her, but her bizarre obsessive tendencies didn't faze her much these days.

Tharja wore a small, dark smile, "I see you've returned to being human. I'm... glad. You're _much_ easier to study, this way."

Arya blinked, a bit lost with why she'd even show up, "I'm… glad too, Tharja."

The dark mage crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one side, never taking her eyes off of her, "I wanted to let you, and Prince Alfonse know that I've discovered a way to hex someone to possess a horrendous fear of rabbits." She snickered, "It should be most amusing when the Spring Festival returns."

Alfonse and Arya shared a look, before she replied, "...thanks for letting me know. Uh, you're… you're not gonna cast that hex on _me_, are you?"

"Of course not. Some of your opponents are rather… rabbit-like, yes? It wouldn't do to have you terrified of them. It endangers you… and that is not acceptable. Unless it's from _me_, of course."

Arya smiled in response, but the Prince noted it looked pained and forced, "I… wouldn't have it any other way, Tharja. Now, if you'll excuse me… I need to uhh… go… do something."

She rushed off, leaving Alfonse and Tharja behind.

He very quickly followed suit when she knowingly and deliberately began muttering to herself in front of him. It _never_ got old, did it?

* * *

**A/N**: This isn't meant to be super serious by any means - just something I wrote for good fun!

This also contains an inside joke between my friends and I, because I have extremely 'specific' luck when it comes to summoning new Heroes OTL  
(I genuinely lacked greens to look up to even use for this, so I dodged it lmao)

Hope you enjoy! Figured it can fit in (loosely) in time for Halloween :D


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